Bridgeworlds: Deep Flux (22 page)

Kasey corrected him, “I am willing to bet that every Nepsah that
was signed up for the Gauntlet got through that.” She turned to the Am
Mayim who she knew could see through invisibility. “Keep your eyes
open.”

Kasey sent the Nepsah along with an Am Mayim wearing the
invisibility devise ahead to scout. The Nepsah returned quickly with the
Am Mayim close behind them. There were only 3 Nepsah. As the
Nepsah caught their breath Kasey asked, “Where is your 4
^th
?” The Am
Mayim answered, “There are Am Mayim and Nepsah ahead. They are
blowing darts with some kind of poison in it at all Nepsah who try to
pass. But they didn’t see me. This thing you have given me… it must
work against the Am Mayim true sight. We had to leave the one hit with
the dart behind in order to escape. There are dozens of Nepsah lying on
the ground. I don’t know if they are dead.”

Kasey nodded. She took the device from the Am Mayim and
moved forward. Before she activated it she signaled for everyone there
to wait. She went ahead and saw the wood floor littered with Nepsah.
She flew over them to where the Am Mayim were positioned. Because
they saw no one coming, the Nepsah were not visible. Kasey positioned
herself to kick one of the Am Mayim which would send him flying into
the others. She was hoping that with the force she was able to kick with
she could knock them all out or at least injure them to the point where
they could not fight. She crouched down and then sprang up and
forward slamming herself into the Am Maiym. All of them, including
Kasey, went flying into the wooden wall and broke through the wood,
splinters flying everywhere. Kasey had splinters in many uncomfortable
places but she had managed to knock the two Am Mayim out and daze
the three Nepsah enough to where she was able to take their blow darts
before they could react. They disappeared as they flew off. As Kasey
walked back to the others she picked up all of the Nepsah putting them
gently in her bag. She checked vitals and it seemed they had been put to
sleep.

Misia approached her. “What are you going to do with those?”

 

Kasey smiled, “They don’t know it yet, but they are on our team.
At least, if they wake up in time to be of use.”

 

Tifus smirked, “Are you going to pick up all of the strays along
the way?”

 

Kasey nodded and laughed, “I plan to. My army just tripled with
these guys.”

They continued walking down the hallway. They could hear foot
steps behind them. Kasey entered a fighting stand as did Misia. She
waved for the others to get behind her. Tifus directed the Nepsah to go
invisible and circle around with the darts just in case. There was a
Miyka, two Gabad and a Showradam that came up on them.

“Surrender and join us,” said Kasey.

The arrogant Miyka laughed, “What house are you? I am the
nephew of King Magus himself. Stand aside follow me if you wish but I
will not be following you.”

Kasey shook her head and the man charged at her with his
sword. Kasey waved her hand at the Nepsah telling them to hold off.
She parried his attack but she could tell by his forms that he was well
trained. The two Gabad and Showradam moved in on her.

Tifus signaled for the Nepsah to take down the two Gabad.

 

He is likely thinking the same thing I am about the Showradam;
the darts won’t work on such a thick hide.

 

The Nepsah took down the two Gabad quickly.

As a distraction Kasey let her wings ignite. The Miyka yelled,
“Witch!” He swung at her head but she blocked and thrust her sword
into his right leg. The Miyka screamed in anger.

He stood up staggering. The Showradam just waited. The Miyka
pointed his sword at her, “What are you waiting for? Attack her.”

 

The Showradam shook his head, “She is a better leader and
fighter.”

The Miyka in his rage swung his sword at the Showradam who
had not been expecting such an attack. As the sword came close to the
Showradam’s hide Kasey struck the Miyka’s sword and broke it with the
Kalat strength and the endurance of a real katana. She smacked the
man hard in the face with the blunt side of the sword and advanced on
him sticking her sword into the wood floor. “That was uncalled for. You
are no leader, you are a fool.”

She ducked his every punch moving closer in on him until she
saw her opening. He punched out at her leaving his side open. She sent
a punch to his ribs with such force that he flew back and landed on the
wood floor breaking part of the floor. He was alive but he would need
serious medical attention and he was out of the Gauntlet which was her
true intention.

Tifus mumbled to himself, “That woman is no Miyka.”

 

Misia smirked, “You think?”
He gave her a smile, “Oh, she has my full devotion though.
Don’t worry. I’m your man.”

 

Kasey laughed. “Come lets go, I hear more footsteps. I will not
try to recruit from that crowd again.”

Kasey went first invisible with the Nepsah scouts. The scouts
pointed out several nasty booby traps. They had entered what seemed
to be a maze that went upstairs and down stairs so much that it was
hard to figure out what level they were on or even if they were above or
underground. The Nepsah in the bag started to stir. Kasey opened the
bag and waited for them to come to. She let her scouts tell them what
had happened and it was pretty easy from there to get them to join in.

Kasey asked the others, “Does anyone have anything like string,
paint, or something we can leave as a bread crumb to make sure that
we are not going in circles?”

One of the Daqad stepped forward. “My wife gave it to me for
good luck. Cant thing of a better use than to help us get through this.”
He handed her a hand woven vest. There was much yarn “This will do.
Thank you.”

She gave the vest to the Nepsah and Remmys to unravel and it
turned into quite a bit of string. Then she sent the Nepsah searching the
maze with a roll of yarn. Whenever they ran out they would have to
come back and report what they saw. She was searching for different
scenery, a sign that she was going the right way. As they waited they
heard the sounds of battle inside the Gauntlet. Kasey smelled smoke.

The Nepsah came back and informed her that there was nothing
going on in most of the possible directions but that there was fighting
throughout the maze. Some recruits were fighting each other and some
were being attached by opponents meant to face them through the
maze. Kasey went the direction of the fire again invisible.

She prayed to herself, “Lord, show me the way out of here.” She
then felt clarity.
There is no way out. I have to make one.

 

Show hoped that this feeling was something from the Shepherd
and not of her own making.

When they got to the location of the fire they saw King Alagaar
himself. There were two dead recruits lying on the ground. One was a
Gabad and the other was a human. King Alagaar was in his full armor
with his war hammer in hand. He was currently fighting two humans
and a Showrad.
How could he? He didn’t have to kill them.

Kasey came out of invisibility and approached the King. She
pulled her katana from its scabbard and approached him letting her
wings ignite for dramatic flair. Those who were already fighting him
looked tired. They moved out of her way.

Kasey dove for the ground and used all of her supernatural
strength to use her sword to open his armor like a can opener. She dove
and swung the sword from the ground up and sliced his armor away
from boot to shoulder. Then she flew away just as his hammer came
down. The crowd that had been following her watched in amazement.
She stuck her sword in the ground and then dove after him. He swung
his hammer as she suspected. Instead of dodging the hammer she put
her hands out and caught it. She jerked the hammer from him as if
jerking a toy from a child. Then she bent the handle around the head of
the hammer as the King screamed in outrage.

“How dare you!” he said. As he ran up and punched her in the
rib with one of his spiked gauntlets. She already had one cracked rib but
those spikes dug in and caught her off guard.
You want to take cheap
shots huh?

Kasey ripped his armor open with her hands where she had torn
a gash straight down. And as he tried to punch her again she flew away.
Then she drew her 38. She put one round in each one of his legs, one in
each shoulder and then she rushed in on him as he fell down. She
pressed the hot muzzle against his head and then she brought her knee
around and slammed it into his head so hard that it knocked him out.
I’m no killer, but that doesn’t make what you have done any less
disgusting.

Here team stood there with their mouths open. She walked
toward them and only Misia seemed to not be surprised.

 

Tifus cleared his throat, “You… you just took out the warrior
King.”

 

Kasey sighed, “Not without some damage.” She looked down at
her side. There were several gashes in her armor and in her skin.

One of the Adams stepped forward with the thread they had
made from the Daqad vest and a needle. He also had a flask of alcohol.
Kasey gritted her teeth as she removed her armor.
I’m really going to
look like Swiss cheese when all of this is said and done.

The Adam dabbed her side with a cloth full of alcohol. She could
handle the pain without flinching but it did really sting. He sewed up her
side and applied some sticky substance and informed her that it would
keep it from trying to open back up.

Kasey looked around. There was a wall on fire but only brick
wall behind it. She looked at her team. “I think it’s time for us to get out
of here
.” If the place is on fire it’s my job to get my team to safety. Too
bad they didn’t give us any rules. I guess I just have to do what feels
right.

Tifus crossed his arms. “What about the contest? Don’t you
want to be champion?”

Kasey shook her head. “As the leader of this group your safety
comes before my ambitions. Besides, I see no way out of this place. I
think it’s all a trick. I am betting that there is no way out and we have to
know to make our own way. So we leave. I would much rather err on
the side of caution than risk one of your lives. Besides, I just wounded
and knocked out one of the judges. My chances for championship may
be over.”

Tifus shrugged, “Ok, we will see I guess.”

 

“Misia, I want you to help me bust the roof on this place,” she
commanded.

 

Misia nodded and the others looked confused.
They have no
clue that we were once Kalat and still have the strength of one.

Kasey and Misia both shot up into the air and punched into the
ceiling as hard as they could. They went through several layers of wood
and brick but they did come out on the other end. They were flying
above Lake City with onlookers who thought they could make out who
they were saw them explode from the roof with wood and mortar. The
Gabad followed transporting people to the roof. Once all were up Kasey
led them down the side of the building to the ground where people
cheered.

Others were breaking out of the building as the fire blazed and
began to consume the building. And then something dawned on Kasey.
King Alagaar is still in there!

Kasey looked at Misia, “Stay here. I will be right back.”

She darted up into the air and into the building. As she went
through the top her senses were hit with a thick smoke. She fought to
breathe as she dove down further. The fire was everywhere and it was
hot and bright. She darted through the flames over the maze and went
to where King Alagaar still lay unconscious. With a broken beam on top
of him and aflame. Kasey threw the beam to the side and grabbed the
King who had been burned by the flames but still had not woken. She
checked and his heart was still beating though very faint. With him in
her arms she darted up out of the building and went straight for her
group where King Erestar and his guard were waiting.

The King was speaking to Misia. Kasey’s arrival with the
unconscious King interrupted whatever they had been talking about.
King Erestar took the other King in his hand and put his other hand over
his body. Kasey watched as the wounds healed under the King’s touch.
He is a follower of the Shepherd!
She had only seen the Shepherd grant
such healing power and on rare occasion. She looked up at King Erestar
with her eyes wide. He looked down at her with his piercing blue eyes
and said, “Don’t worry. He will be ok… at least physically. I am hoping
his concussion will keep him out so I can deal with him tomorrow.”

Kasey smiled and said, “Hopefully you can
Shepherd
him to be
more cautious.”

 

King Erestar eyed her when she put emphasis on the word
Shepherd. “Indeed, we do know what you did to him.”

 

“Then you know it was needed,” she replied not missing a beat.

Erestar nodded, “Maybe... The situation is being reviewed. It
was intended that the champion would defeat King Alagaar and the rest
in order to be part of the army would break out. We did not expect a lot
that happened. But for now, please… walk with me.”

King Erestar bent over and put his hand out for her to step onto
then he lifted her to his shoulder. “Omar has told me a lot about you,”
he said as he walked them both towards the palace.

Kasey looked over her shoulder to see Misia and Tifus take flight
but keep their distance. They were conversing as they flew. Kasey
looked back to King Erestar. “That’s right, I keep forgetting that you are
one of the Magi.”

He nodded, “And your name intrigues me, ‘Kasey Phoenix’. I
was told by a mutual friend that I would know my champion by the
familiar symbol under which she conquered. I notice you have a Phoenix
on your breastplate.”

She looked down at her armor and then to the flag of Philos.
“Then you do follow the Shepherd.”